On May 14th, 2016 I attended Yuja Wang’s recital at Carnegie Hall, with my wife Patti. This performance was the reason I became a Carnegie subscriber a year ago: I had to have great seats, and we did.

The last time I was at Carnegie was to see Kissin (reviewed here). For him, additional seats were placed on stage to squeeze in as many spectators as possible. Not so for Yuja Wang.

Since Ms. Wang’s recital was sold out, it surprised me that she had the stage to herself. I am sure that she was happy about that, however. It can’t be easy to have the audience intruding on your personal space when you are tackling such strenuous repertoire.

Yuja Wang’s Sparkle

People will tell you that Yuja Wang’s clothing has nothing to do with how well she plays, but this reviewer acknowledges that those fabulous outfits are part of Yuja’s brand. I would have been disappointed if she did not look like a diva. I was not disappointed: she walked out on stage in one of the most beautiful gowns I have ever seen. Its color reminded me of the pale salmon that I had across the street an hour earlier at the Europa Cafe (205 W 57th St., recommended). The gown didn’t just sparkle, it flared and outshone the highlights of the black Carnegie Steinway. You can get a hint of that from my photograph.

Brahms Ballade in D Minor

The recital opened with the Brahms’ Ballade in D Minor, Op. 10 No. 1. This was impressively sonorous, and for me the best part of the scheduled repertoire. I settled back to absorb the rest of the evening, but when she moved on to Schumann’s Kreisleriana, I could not feel it. I can’t fault Ms. Wang: I personally have never gotten much out of Schumann.

Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata

After the intermission, Yuja showed up in a dramatic new gown – dark green with a saucy slit on the audience’s side, as seen in my wife’s photograph (credit Patti Turner). If you wanted skin, this was your moment. But while the dress shimmered, Yuja’s performance seemed a little off. The Adagio was haunting but the rest, to be honest, did not work for me. Perhaps she was dulled by playing the same German program again and again. Or perhaps the Hammerklavier is so complex and demanding, that it is as hard for the audience as it is for the soloist.

Yuja: I don’t know what to play!

After the end of the program I wondered which of Yuja’s legendary encores we would be treated to. I had had enough heavy repertoire, as had most everyone else. When Yuja returned to the piano for an encore, the hall was electric with anticipation. She sat at the keyboard for a few moments, then turned to the audience and said ruefully “I don’t know what to play!”

My heart went out to her. This had not been the most inspiring evening. This was partly due to the program, but in some intangible way it also came from the pianist herself. Maybe she just needed to burn some Rondo Alla Turca.

Gretchen am Spinnrade (Schubert, arr. Liszt)

From that moment on, we were treated to the gifted Yuja we love. I have never heard such a beautiful rendering of the Schubert/Liszt spinning wheel (Gretchen am Spinnrade). There are few pianists who can make me teary, but she did. If you haven’t heard this, watch it on medici.tv. A year’s subscription costs less than dinner for two in New York.

Carmen and Ronda Alla Turca

At this point it had been a long night for us and for the performer. If Yuja had called it quits, that would have been ok. But she came alive with her encores, and so did we. She gave us both Horowitz’s Carmen and the Mozart/Volodos Rondo Alla Turca. I’ve watched these many times on YouTube, but to see Yuja Wang in person, elbows stretched to both ends of the keyboard delivering these delights, was the treat of a lifetime.

Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor

Most pianists do not bring out the descending right hand notes at the end of each bar (G, G, G, F, E, D, C, D). Kissin does, but Rubenstein, Horowitz and Ashkenazy do not. As written, the pedal comes off at the end of the bar, but Yuja holds her thumb down to sustain this note through the next bar. That’s definitely not what’s written, but it makes for a luminous sound. You can see her do this in her superlative Verbier 2010 video, starting right here.

Yuja Wang at Carnegie May 2016: sublime!

We saw two pianists at this event: Yuja Wang the professional who seemed weighed down by the main course, and Yuja Wang the star who lit up for dessert. The star was the Yuja whom I went to Carnegie to see. She brings out the inner layers of familiar pieces in a way that makes me feel I am hearing them for the first time. At her best, she is sublime.

I saw Lang Lang 3 days ago at Carnegie Hall on Friday October 23rd, 2015. It was a memorable evening, so I wanted to share the experience here.

The concert was scheduled for 8:30 pm, but Lang Lang did not come on stage until 10 minutes later. When he walked out, I was struck by how thin he was. Not unhealthy, just fit and stylish.

His shoes were pointed and shiny, maybe patent leather. His pants were the style of today’s young men, narrow-legged, slim around the ankles. They reminded me of what we used to call “drainpipes” in the 1960’s. My school banned them because they reflected the evils of rock-and-roll.

Tchaikovsky “The Seasons”

Lang Lang’s performance was superlative from the beginning. Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, which was new to me, was rendered beautifully. The Russian dances that pop up during this piece (e.g. February) were a little muddy, but that’s the composer’s fault. As to June, I recognized and loved it instantly. Under Lang Lang’s hands it was a cross between Chopin and Brahms. You can find it at around 18:30 in this video.

Johann Sebastian Bach Italian Concerto, BWV 971

I am not going to comment on this delectable piece. Lang Lang played it beautifully, there is not much else to say.

Chopin Scherzo’s

The Chopin Scherzo’s came after the Intermission and were the highlight of the evening. Lang Lang’s playing can only be described as bravura. This man can attack the piano and get away with it, because he is technically impeccable. I have never enjoyed Scherzo #2 as much as I did at this recital. The following video of him playing this Scherzo is comparable to what he did for us , but at Carnegie his performance was sharper and cleaner, going beyond anyone I have seen play live.

Ponce “Intermezzo”

Lang Lang’s first encore, the Ponce Intermezzo, was adorable. I have to add this to my repertoire! If you don’t know it, try this YouTube rendition by Glenda Courtois.

Lang Lang the Showman

What else do I remember? Lang Lang’s signature sharp head movements, his face turned up and towards the audience, his skinny legs splayed wide, those elvish pointy shoes. He pedalled soft and sostenuto at the same time during the Tchaikovsky. In the Chopin scherzlo’s, he was speed-pedaling as if am spinnrade.

I just had to love Lang Lang’s unique (as far as I know) way of whipping his right hand back and down from the keyboard, as if he were kneepcapping a man standing behind him. And good grief, how he hammered out those big Chopin scherzo’s! Lang Lang is a slight man, so I understand how the larger Franz Liszt would break a piano while performing.

Lang Lang loves his audience. He embraced us collectively with warm gestures before sitting down at the piano. When he took his bows at the end of each segment, and at the end of each Chopin scherzo, he put one leg (with its pointy shoe) forward and bowed deep from the waist. His hand went over his heart again and again. He raised his arms to us at the left, the center, and the right. I felt such rapport with this masterful pianist, because he knew what he was uniquely able to give us, and he knew that we loved every minute.

For those of us who both love and play the piano, watching Lang Lang at Carnegie Hall on October 23rd, 2015, was rapturous.